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Washington, D.C. · Public charity

Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research

FOUNDATION FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE RESEARCH connects funders, researchers and farmers through public-private partnerships to support audacious research addressing the biggest food and agriculture challenges.

$35M
Granted FY2024(still arriving)
28
Itemized grants FY2024
50
Organizations funded FY2023
42%
First-time grantees FY2023
Read the full brief
Itemized, FY2024
$26M
The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
Median grant, FY2024
$449,989
Largest grant, FY2024
$3,746,812
Organizations funded a year
25 to 50
FY2017 to FY2023
States reached, FY2024
21
Total assets, FY2024
$295M

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 42% of the organizations Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research funded were first-time grantees, receiving 42% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 58% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $41M went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23
EducationFood & NutritionEnvironmentPhilanthropyScience & TechHealthOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2024still arriving25$23M36%
FY202350$97M42%
FY202243$39M49%
FY202130$47M57%
FY202045$31M47%
FY201932$39M47%
FY201838$30M74%
FY201725$45Mn/a
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Science & Tech$151MEducation$87MFood & Nutrition$48MEnvironment$46MPhilanthropy$14MHealth$6.2MSocial Science$2.1MHuman Services$645kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
ME
VT
NH
WA
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
KY
VA
MD
DE
AZ
NM
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
HI
OK
MS
AL
GA
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2024, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois$25,244,1365n/a
Kansas State University Foundation$24,284,306611%
University of California Davis$18,754,5338n/a
Nc State University$12,497,8967n/a
Noble Research Institute LLC$11,386,644319%
Colorado State University$11,373,3325n/a
Agricultural Research Service (Usda)$11,048,9055n/a
Ecosystem Services Market Consortium$10,300,0001n/a
Ecosystem Services Market Consortium LLC$10,300,0001n/a
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation$10,000,00013%
Show all 155 grantees
All grantees of Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois$25,244,1365n/a
Kansas State University Foundation$24,284,306611%
University of California Davis$18,754,5338n/a
Nc State University$12,497,8967n/a
Noble Research Institute LLC$11,386,644319%
Colorado State University$11,373,3325n/a
Agricultural Research Service (Usda)$11,048,9055n/a
Ecosystem Services Market Consortium$10,300,0001n/a
Ecosystem Services Market Consortium LLC$10,300,0001n/a
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation$10,000,00013%
Dairy Science Institute Inc$10,000,000140%
Soil Health Institute$9,942,27829%
The Ohio State University$9,619,2355n/a
Iowa State University$8,257,0525n/a
Rf Catalytic Capital Inc$7,500,00023%
University of Wisconsin$6,063,6992n/a
Washington State University$5,236,4445n/a
Wolfe's Neck Farm Foundation$5,000,0001n/a
Trustees of Purdue University$4,324,1696n/a
Swine Health Information Center Inc$4,150,000358%
Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University$3,845,03941%
Just Greens LLC$3,585,2672n/a
Clemson University$3,519,3622n/a
United Soybean Board$3,500,0002n/a
State University of New York at Binghamton$3,460,0803n/a
University of Florida$3,213,2533n/a
Pennsylvania State University$3,150,4693n/a
The Organic Center Inc$3,000,0002n/a
National Pork Producers Council$2,701,91629%
Texas A&M Agrilife Research$2,508,4323n/a
Native American Agriculture Fund$2,500,0001n/a
X Prize Foundation Inc$2,487,50025%
Practical Farmers of Iowa$2,381,421121%
Colorado State University$2,322,8911n/a
Kirchner Impact Foundation Inc$2,285,000225%
Aglaunch Initiative$2,257,0341n/a
University of Minnesota$2,147,2022n/a
University of Minnesota Foundation$2,146,09731%
Cornell University$2,076,35420%
Case Western Reserve University$2,036,41030%
University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc$1,955,29821%
Danone Institute North America$1,865,0001n/a
Texas A&M Agrilife Research$1,845,1162n/a
Pitzer College$1,798,11412%
The University of Tennessee$1,692,1744n/a
The Research Foundation for The State University of New York$1,532,81920%
Texas Tech University System$1,501,4484n/a
North Dakota State University$1,462,5002n/a
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University$1,455,2403n/a
Land Core$1,449,6111n/a
Rodale Institute$1,447,29628%
The Rich Earth Institute Inc$1,330,2572100%
Michigan State University$1,300,0012n/a
Oregon State University$1,293,6393n/a
Ichthus Unlimited LLC$1,263,1352n/a
Regents of the University of California at Berkeley$1,262,4983n/a
Recombinetics Inc$1,247,9882n/a
Auburn University Foundation$1,209,87031%
University of Maryland College Park Foundation Inc$1,203,54931%
Regents of the University of Michigan$1,200,0001n/a
Oregon State University$1,141,8481n/a
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center$1,126,77921%
Feeding America$1,099,74020%
Sustainable Food Center$1,092,755339%
University of Wisconsin Foundation$1,002,36620%
Two Blades Foundation$1,000,000110%
Tuskegee University$1,000,00011%
Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska$1,000,0001n/a
Foundation for Agronomic Research Inc$1,000,000168%
Nucicer Inc$1,000,0001n/a
Montana State University Foundation Inc$996,94812%
New Mexico State University$970,9311n/a
The Land Institute$966,273111%
Regents of the University of California at Riverside$940,3562n/a
University of Delaware$900,00020%
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Research Foundation Inc$899,5962n/a
Pipestone Applied Research LLC$898,2803n/a
Foodshot Global Inc$885,000387%
University of Kansas Center for Research Inc$881,52610%
University of Washington Foundation$877,00711%
West Texas A&M University$867,0882n/a
Geovisual Technologies Inc$823,2421n/a
US Farming and Ranching Foundation$813,200120%
Applied Lifesciences & Systems Poultry Inc$800,0001n/a
American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges$794,82463%
Rochester Institute of Technology$779,98010%
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory$750,00010%
Technology Matters$749,999118%
American Farmland Trust$748,83712%
World Wildlife Fund Inc$715,00020%
Sasya Inc$653,0351n/a
South Dakota State University$649,8172n/a
Mississippi State University Foundation Inc$645,39111%
Savanna Institute$642,08613%
Curators of the University of Missouri$637,4812n/a
Point Reyes Bird Observatory$616,17815%
New York University$600,66710%
University of Rhode Island$600,0002n/a
Sensit Ventures$594,9562n/a
University of Georgia$549,5071n/a
University System of New Hampshire$546,5111n/a
The University of Florida Foundation Inc$522,60810%
Audiot$500,0002n/a
University of Kentucky Research Foundation$456,53510%
University of Central Florida$450,0001n/a
University of Arizona$450,0001n/a
Regents of the University of California$450,0001n/a
Foundation of California State University Monterey Bay$450,000119%
The Scripps Research Institute$450,00010%
Asu Enterprise Partners$450,00013%
University of Hawaii System$449,9421n/a
University of Massachusetts$449,8971n/a
Montana State University$449,6971n/a
East Tennessee State University$448,8521n/a
University of Arkansas - Division of Agriculture$448,4911n/a
University of South Florida$446,4741n/a
Syracuse University$446,4741n/a
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi$445,1221n/a
University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation Inc$430,48519%
Regenerative Agriculture Foundation$400,00018%
Oklahoma State University$353,7082n/a
Beef Alliance$342,0001n/a
University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc$338,61313%
Stroud Water Research Center$316,00015%
Coastal Enterprises Inc$300,00012%
Mississippi State University$295,6191n/a
Farm Journal Inc$295,5002n/a
Microscale Devices$269,0301n/a
Lumen Bioscience Inc$252,6181n/a
Precision Livestock Technologies$247,4701n/a
Organic Farming Research Foundation$242,000312%
Greener Grazing LLC$200,0001n/a
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc$189,79411%
Pecan Street Inc$180,129110%
Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council$150,000130%
Isca Technologies Inc$150,0001n/a
Ipm Voice$150,0001n/a
University of Wyoming$149,1361n/a
Agrinerds Inc$148,1111n/a
Genvax$145,0001n/a
Usda Agricultural Research Service$123,8101n/a
University of Kentucky$120,9001n/a
American Society of Agronomy$100,00012%
Land O'Lakes International Development Fund$100,0001n/a
Emerging Prairie$100,00016%
University of Utah Research Foundation$99,9991n/a
Michigan State University Research$99,2291n/a
Illinois Corn Growers Association$79,96712%
Biotech Naturale$75,0001n/a
University of Florida Research Foundation Inc$67,89210%
Field to Market$51,66712%
McDowell Group$50,0001n/a
Georgia Institute of Technology$50,0001n/a
The Water Research Foundation$50,00010%
Sustainable Markets Foundation$50,00010%

Plus 2 recipients with no EIN on record ($550k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 8 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 67 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetKansas State University Foundation: $24,284,306 over 6y, 11% of budgetNoble Research Institute LLC: $11,386,644 over 3y, 19% of budgetThe Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation: $10,000,000 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetDairy Science Institute Inc: $10,000,000 over 1y, 40% of budgetSoil Health Institute: $9,942,278 over 2y, 9.4% of budgetRf Catalytic Capital Inc: $7,500,000 over 2y, 3.2% of budgetSwine Health Information Center Inc: $4,150,000 over 3y, 58% of budgetArizona State University Foundation for a New American University: $3,845,039 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetNational Pork Producers Council: $2,701,916 over 2y, 9.5% of budgetX Prize Foundation Inc: $2,487,500 over 2y, 5.5% of budgetPractical Farmers of Iowa: $2,381,421 over 1y, 21% of budgetKirchner Impact Foundation Inc: $2,285,000 over 2y, 25% of budgetUniversity of Minnesota Foundation: $2,146,097 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetCornell University: $2,076,354 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCase Western Reserve University: $2,036,410 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetUniversity of Georgia Research Foundation Inc: $1,955,298 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetPitzer College: $1,798,114 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetThe Research Foundation for The State University of New York: $1,532,819 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetRodale Institute: $1,447,296 over 2y, 8.0% of budgetThe Rich Earth Institute Inc: $1,330,257 over 2y, 100% of budgetAuburn University Foundation: $1,209,870 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetUniversity of Maryland College Park Foundation Inc: $1,203,549 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetDonald Danforth Plant Science Center: $1,126,779 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetFeeding America: $1,099,740 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSustainable Food Center: $1,092,755 over 3y, 39% of budgetUniversity of Wisconsin Foundation: $1,002,366 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTwo Blades Foundation: $1,000,000 over 1y, 10% of budgetTuskegee University: $1,000,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetFoundation for Agronomic Research Inc: $1,000,000 over 1y, 68% of budgetMontana State University Foundation Inc: $996,948 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetThe Land Institute: $966,273 over 1y, 11% of budgetUniversity of Delaware: $900,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFoodshot Global Inc: $885,000 over 3y, 87% of budgetUniversity of Kansas Center for Research Inc: $881,526 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetUniversity of Washington Foundation: $877,007 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetUS Farming and Ranching Foundation: $813,200 over 1y, 20% of budgetAmerican Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges: $794,824 over 6y, 3.0% of budgetRochester Institute of Technology: $779,980 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCold Spring Harbor Laboratory: $750,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTechnology Matters: $749,999 over 1y, 18% of budgetAmerican Farmland Trust: $748,837 over 1y, 2.4% of budgetWorld Wildlife Fund Inc: $715,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetMississippi State University Foundation Inc: $645,391 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetSavanna Institute: $642,086 over 1y, 3.4% of budgetPoint Reyes Bird Observatory: $616,178 over 1y, 4.6% of budgetNew York University: $600,667 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe University of Florida Foundation Inc: $522,608 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetUniversity of Kentucky Research Foundation: $456,535 over 1y, 0.1% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 67.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Nature ConservancyNational Fish and Wil…American Chemical Soc…PatagoniaorgCornell UniversityGates FoundationEnvironmental Defense…Extension FoundationUnited States Golf As…University of DelawareWest Virginia Univers…Community Foundation …
The Nature ConservancyVA23.9× affinity12 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Nature Conservancy · National Fish and Wildlife Foundation · American Chemical Society · Patagoniaorg · Cornell University · Gates Foundation · Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated · Extension Foundation · United States Golf Association · University of Delaware · West Virginia University Research Corporation · Community Foundation for San Benito County

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Compare Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research with peer funders

About Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research

How much does Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research give?
Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research reported 28 itemized grants totaling $25,700,536, out of $34,756,756 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 25 and 50 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2023.
What does Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2024, its largest causes are Science & Tech (42%), Education (24%), Food & Nutrition (14%).
Who are Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2024: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois ($25M), Kansas State University Foundation ($24M), University of California Davis ($19M).
Does Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research fund new organizations?
In FY2023, 42% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Which funders back the same organizations as Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Nature Conservancy, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, American Chemical Society.
Where is Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research based?
Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is based in DC.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 163 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home